Friday, February 3, 2017

As much as people like to trash Facebook, I have to say it is a great way to learn about ideas and issues around the world - unique things that you may never have heard about otherwise. Take this story for instance.

Researchers from Denmark discovered that premature babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) respond positively when they have a crocheted octopus at their side. The crocheted tentacles of the octopuses* remind the tiny babies of their umbilical cord. While babies are in utero, they often

grab hold of their cord as they float around in their cocoon-like home, but once they're born, there's nothing for them to grab on to, other than their life-saving tubes that may be pulled out or dislocated. But babies who were each given a crocheted octopus seemed less stressed. Nurses have observed the babies' heart and respiration breathing rates drop when they are able to hold on to the tentacles. Another important benefit: if the babies are holding and pulling on the tentacles, they are less likely to pull on those tubes.

A hospital in the UK decided to give their premature babies their own octopus to see if it would make a difference, according to an online article in Prima. The nurses in the hospital did find that the octopuses helped their little charges.

First kangaroo care (holding baby to the skin), now octopuses, what next will we find will help those fragile babies?

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Every winter we hear stories about people who have heart attacks after a heavy snowfall. It's not hard to imagine. People who are usually sedentary or moderately active take to shovelling out their driveways or to rescue their cars from mountains of snow pushed to the side of the road. A new study suggests that while the heart attack/snow shovelling connection is valid, it's the moderate snowfalls that seem to have the most effect. In addition, the heart attacks often present two days after the snowfall.

This large study took place from 2010 to 2015 and looked at over 400,000 adults who had been hospitalized at two hospitals in Boston. The researchers assessed patients who had been admitted with cardiovascular conditions and cold-weather conditions (frostbite and falls/injuries). Interestingly, the researchers found that admissions to hospital for patients with heart disease occurred most often (increased by 23%) after moderate snowfalls, defined as 5 to 10 inches, rather than high snowfalls. Cardiovascular disease admissions actually dropped by 32% on high snowfall days, the authors wrote.

One theory that might explain why moderate snowfalls have more of an effect is that people may stay inside more during heavier snowfalls and that moderate falls seem easier to manage.

So be careful, even if the snowfall isn't drastic and beware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack for a few days after your time shovelling snow:

Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back.

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Who am I?I am TheNurseWriter.com. I'm a registered nurse and a health writer, which makes me a nurse writer. I received my nursing license in 1983 and have been writing and editing since the mid-90s. I have worked in many areas of nursing from rehab to ICU, with palliative care, pediatrics, and a lot in between.

My writing clients vary from consumer and professional magazines to websites. I have written about palliative care, women's health, sepsis, the misunderstood potato, quilting, powder room design, and more. The type of writing I enjoy most is to take complicated health and medical information and rewrite it so anyone can understand it. If I've done that, I am happy. You can also learn more about my books at Amazon.com.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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